Life cycle assessment of acrylic road marking paints

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), in compliance with ISO norm 14040, was performed on an acrylic water based and solvent based road marking paint. This cradle to grave analysis used as a functional unit covering 1 m 2 of road surface throughout its life cycle considered as being 10 years. Nineteen impact factors were evaluated, including emission of CO 2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), energy consumption, eutrophication, waste production, ecological and human toxicity. We can conclude from this study that water based road marking paints present a significantly better environmental balance sheet compared to a solvent based paint. Choosing an acrylic based waterborne road marking paint reduces atmospheric VOC release by up to 89%.